# Preacher Man
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{{About|the 1991 song by Bananarama|the Kanye West song|Preacher Man (Kanye West song)|other uses|Preacher-man (disambiguation){{!}}Preacher-man}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2019}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Preacher Man
| cover = Banana_pm.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = [Bananarama](/source/Bananarama)
| album = [Pop Life](/source/Pop_Life_(Bananarama_album))
| B-side = Megalomaniac
| released = {{start date|1990|12|24|df=y}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = [Indie dance](/source/Indie_dance)
| length =
* 3:15 (album version)
* 3:38 (alternative 7-inch mix)
| label = [London](/source/London_Records)
| writer =
* [Sara Dallin](/source/Sara_Dallin)
* Andy Caine
* [Youth](/source/Martin_Glover)
| producer = Youth
| prev_title = [Only Your Love](/source/Only_Your_Love)
| prev_year = 1990
| next_title = [Long Train Running](/source/Long_Train_Runnin')
| next_year = 1991
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|S8YfNMyk4ko|"Preacher Man"}}}}
}}
"'''Preacher Man'''" is a song recorded by the English [girl group](/source/girl_group) [Bananarama](/source/Bananarama). It appears on the group's fifth studio album, ''[Pop Life](/source/Pop_Life_(Bananarama_album))'' (1991), and was released as the album's second single. The track was co-written and produced by [Youth](/source/Martin_Glover) with additional production and remix by [Shep Pettibone](/source/Shep_Pettibone).
"[Tripping on Your Love](/source/Tripping_on_Your_Love)" had been originally slated as the second single from the album,{{citation needed|date=August 2016}} and some promotional singles of the song were sent to radio stations in late 1990. Around this time, group member [Sara Dallin](/source/Sara_Dallin) contracted [meningitis](/source/meningitis), which delayed the release of the single some months.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}} When she recovered, [London Records](/source/London_Records) decided "Preacher Man" was a better choice for a single and so it was released in December 1990. "Tripping on Your Love" was eventually released as the album's fourth single.
The [indie dance](/source/indie_dance) song became the highest-charting and biggest-selling single released from the ''Pop Life'' album, climbing to number 20 on the [UK Singles Chart](/source/UK_Singles_Chart). The single was Bananarama's last appearance in the UK top 20 until "[Move in My Direction](/source/Move_in_My_Direction)" in 2005. In Australia, the single peaked at number 147 on the Australian [ARIA](/source/ARIA_Chart) singles chart. "Preacher Man" was not released in the United States.
The song was performed on the Original Line Up Tour during 2017–2018. Despite being recorded after she left, original member [Siobhan Fahey](/source/Siobhan_Fahey) has always liked the song{{citation needed|date=September 2018}} and chose to include it in the setlist.
==Critical reception==
[Everett True](/source/Everett_True) from ''[Melody Maker](/source/Melody_Maker)'' wrote, "Bananarama, still in the forefront of the musical revolution, put out a new record which, stylistically, borrows very heavily from [Shakespear's Sister](/source/Shakespear's_Sister), and, musically, borrows reasonably heavily from [Happy Mondays](/source/Happy_Mondays)' funk/bass thang. Vocally, of course, they are their usual [SAW](/source/Stock_Aitken_%26_Waterman) selves, with an nifty helping hand or two from the ubiquitous [Youth](/source/Martin_Glover). And, all things considered, this is no bad thing."[{{cite magazine|first=Everett|last=True|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/nothingelseon/52264678072/|title=Singles|magazine=[Melody Maker](/source/Melody_Maker)|date=5 January 1991|page=27|access-date=3 April 2023|author-link=Everett True}}] Pan-European magazine ''[Music & Media](/source/Music_%26_Media)'' stated, "Strong hooks and strong looks. A catchy tune with undeniable pop appeal. Watch the striking harp solo in the middle."[{{cite magazine|title= New Releases: Singles |magazine= [Music & Media](/source/Music_%26_Media) |volume= 1 |issue= 3 |date= 19 January 1991 |page= 16 |access-date= 20 October 2020 |url= https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1991/MM-1991-01-19.pdf}}] [Andrew Collins](/source/Andrew_Collins_(broadcaster)) from ''[NME](/source/New_Musical_Express)'' said "Bananarama's difficult 'second' [indie-dance](/source/Indie_dance)-glossover single is one."[{{cite magazine|first=Andrew|last=Collins|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/nothingelseon/52268395235/|title=Singles|magazine=[NME](/source/New_Musical_Express)|date=5 January 1991|page=18|access-date=3 April 2023|author-link=Andrew Collins (broadcaster)}}]
Gary Crossing from ''[Record Mirror](/source/Record_Mirror)'' called the song "a supremely contagious dance offering... This has a powerful, gloopy bassline and a wondrous bluesy harmonica bit in the middle".[{{cite magazine|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/57779449@N02/51221255632/in/album-72157719385999585/lightbox/|first=Gary|last=Crossing|title=Singles|magazine=[Record Mirror](/source/Record_Mirror)|date=5 January 1991|page=11|accessdate=10 August 2021}}] Caroline Sullivan from ''[Smash Hits](/source/Smash_Hits)'' felt the song sounded like "everything they did with S/A/W", noting "the chugging beat, same slick strings and the harmonica solo."[{{cite magazine|first=Caroline|last=Sullivan|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/smashhits90s/29298262748/in/album-72157670772584438/|title=Review: Singles|magazine=[Smash Hits](/source/Smash_Hits)|issue=316|page=49|date=9 January 1991|access-date=8 March 2020}}] In review of 5 January 1991, Paul Elliott of ''[Sounds](/source/Sounds_(magazine))'' considered that this song "melds '70s and '90s dance sounds." In the end Elliott summarized: "Produced by Youth and remixed by Shep Pettibone, it throbs yet sparkles, evocative of the dreamiest, most hypnotic and heady '70s [disco](/source/disco) raves."[{{cite magazine|last=Elliott|first=Paul|authorlink=|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Sounds/90s/Sounds-1991-01-05-S-OCR.pdf|title=Review: Bananarama – "Preacher Man"|magazine=[Sounds](/source/Sounds_(magazine))|date=5 January 1991|page=19|location=[Peterborough](/source/Peterborough)|publisher=[United Newspapers](/source/UBM_plc)|issn=|access-date=13 June 2022|via=World Radio History|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220620080936/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Sounds/90s/Sounds-1991-01-05-S-OCR.pdf|archive-date=20 June 2022}}]
==Music video==
The accompanying music video for the song featured a man in a tank top tied to a chair in the interrogation room of a prison. As he breaks down and goes crazy, Bananarama and various carnival-like entertainers (such as a midget and a girl in a winged outfit) appear as hallucinations before him. These scenes are intercut with scenes of the girls performing the song in front of candles or standing against a wall. Harmonica player [Johnny Mars](/source/Johnny_Mars) appears on the video.[{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p19170/biography|pure_url=yes}}|title=Johnny Mars|author=Richard Skelly |publisher=[AllMusic](/source/AllMusic) |access-date=30 October 2011}}] The video was directed by long-time collaborator [Andy Morahan](/source/Andy_Morahan) and would be the last video he directed for the group until "Stuff Like That" from ''[In Stereo](/source/In_Stereo_(Bananarama_album))'' in 2019.[{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10250854/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_3|title=Bananarama: Stuff Like That|website=[IMDb](/source/IMDb)|access-date=5 September 2022}}]
==Personnel==
'''Bananarama'''
*[Sara Dallin](/source/Sara_Dallin) – vocals
*[Jacquie O'Sullivan](/source/Jacquie_O'Sullivan) – vocals
*[Keren Woodward](/source/Keren_Woodward) – vocals
'''Additional musicians'''
*Peter 'Ski' Schwartz – keyboards
==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ {{sro|Weekly chart performance for "Preacher Man"}}
! scope="col"| Chart (1991)
! scope="col"| Peak
position
|-
! scope="row"| Australia ([ARIA](/source/ARIA_Charts))[{{cite web|url=http://i.imgur.com/9AQCjII.jpg|title=Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 2014-06-17|access-date=2014-11-18|publisher=imgur.com}}]
| 147
|-
{{single chart|Flanders|40|artist=Bananarama|song=Preacher Man|rowheader=true|access-date=26 May 2024}}
|-
! scope="row"| Europe ([Eurochart Hot 100](/source/Eurochart_Hot_100))[{{cite magazine|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|magazine=[Music & Media](/source/Music_%26_Media)|issue=8|volume=5|date=2 February 1991|page=23}}]
| 57
|-
! scope="row"| Europe ([European Hit Radio](/source/European_Hit_Radio_(chart)))[{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1991/MM-1991-02-16.pdf|title=European Hit Radio|magazine=[Music & Media](/source/Music_%26_Media)|issue=8|volume=7|date=16 February 1991|page=17|access-date=17 November 2025}}]
| 11
|-
! scope="row"| Finland ([Suomen virallinen lista](/source/Suomen_virallinen_lista))[{{cite book |url=https://musiikkiarkisto.fi/oa/_tiedostot/julkaisut/sisaltaa-hitin.pdf#page=241|first=Timo |last=Pennanen |year=2021 |title=Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 |section=Bananarama|page=25|publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava |location=Helsinki|access-date=22 April 2025}}]
| 6
|-
{{single chart|Germany|46|artist=Bananarama|song=Preacher Man|songid=51084|rowheader=true|access-date=26 May 2024}}
|-
{{single chart|Ireland2|11|artist=Bananarama|song=Preacher Man|rowheader=true|access-date=26 May 2024}}
|-
! scope="row"| Italy (''[Musica e dischi](/source/Musica_e_dischi)'')[{{cite web|url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php|title=Classifiche|work=[Musica e dischi](/source/Musica_e_dischi)|language=it|access-date=26 May 2024}} ''Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Bananarama" in the "Artista" field and press "cerca".'']
| 42
|-
! scope="row"| Luxembourg ([Radio Luxembourg](/source/Radio_Luxembourg))[{{cite web |url= http://www.umdmusic.com/default.asp?Lang=English&Chart=F&ChDay=&ChMonth=&ChYear=&ChBand=Bananarama&ChSong= |title=Radio Luxembourg Singles |publisher=umdmusic.com|access-date=27 April 2025}}]
| 12
|-
{{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|20|artist=Bananarama|artistid=30294|rowheader=true|access-date=26 May 2024}}
|-
! scope="row"| UK Airplay (''[Music Week](/source/Music_Week)'')[{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1991/MW-1991-02-02.pdf|title=Playlist Chart|magazine=[Music Week](/source/Music_Week)|date=2 February 1991|page=iii|access-date=22 October 2025}}]
| 3
|-
! scope="row"| UK Dance (''[Music Week](/source/Music_Week)'')[{{cite magazine|url= https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1991/MW-1991-01-12.pdf |title= Top 60 Dance Singles |magazine= [Music Week](/source/Music_Week) |date= 12 January 1991 |page= xii |access-date= 28 September 2020}}]
| 22
|}
==Release history==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ {{sro|Release dates and formats for "Preacher Man"}}
! scope="col"| Region
! scope="col"| Date
! scope="col"| Format(s)
! scope="col"| Label(s)
! scope="col"| {{abbr|Ref(s).|Reference(s)}}
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| United Kingdom
| 24 December 1990
| {{hlist|7-inch vinyl|12-inch vinyl|CD|cassette}}
| rowspan="4"| [London](/source/London_Records)
| align="center"| [{{cite magazine|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=vi|date=22 December 1990}}]
|-
| 21 January 1991
| 12-inch remix vinyl
| align="center"| [{{cite magazine|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=vi|date=19 January 1991}}]
|-
! scope="row"| Japan
| 6 February 1991
| {{hlist|Mini-CD|maxi-CD}}
| align="center"| [{{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/127544/products/203956/1/|title=バナナラマ {{!}} プリーチャー・マン|trans-title=Bananrama {{!}} Preacher Man|publisher=[Oricon](/source/Oricon)|language=ja|access-date=16 September 2025}}][{{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/127544/products/190435/1/|title=バナナラマ {{!}} プリーチャー・マン|trans-title=Bananrama {{!}} Preacher Man|publisher=Oricon|language=ja|access-date=16 September 2025}}]
|-
! scope="row"| Australia
| 18 February 1991
| {{hlist|7-inch vinyl|CD|cassette}}
| align="center"| [{{cite magazine|title=New Release Summary – Product Available from : 18/02/91: Singles|magazine=[The ARIA Report](/source/The_ARIA_Report)|issue=56|page=19|date=17 February 1991}}]
|}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Bananarama}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:1990 singles
Category:1990 songs
Category:Bananarama songs
Category:London Records singles
Category:Music videos directed by Andy Morahan
Category:Songs written by Sara Dallin
Category:Songs written by Youth (musician)
---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Preacher Man](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preacher_Man) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preacher_Man?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.